53 Townhouses, Some Affordable, Proposed in Somers
A developer is proposing a 53 three-bedroom townhouse development for 16.7 acres on the southern portion of Route 6 in Somers that would include eight affordable homes and eight affordable apartments.
The project, which is being proposed by The Kearney Realty & Development Group and the Housing Action Council, was discussed the Hidden Meadows at Somers project at the October 10 town board meeting.
Ken Kearney, president of Kearney Realty, told the town board if the project was approved owners of eight affordable units would serve as landlords of eight apartments that would be in their two-family homes.
The affordable units would be included in Westchester County’s agreement with the federal Housing and Urban Development to build affordable housing, Kearney said.
The developers are asking the town board to approve a multi-family housing zone, for the parcel, which would be located in the Baldwin Place section of Somers. The property is currently zoned R-80, which only allows single-family homes. The townhouses would be between 16,000 and 17,000 square feet.
If the project was approved, the Housing Action Council would have a 50-year agreement to keep the eight affordable homes affordable for 50 years, Kearney said, adding the Council would be responsible for the process to recruit families to live in the affordable homes.
Supervisor Mary Beth Murphy asked Town Attorney Roland Baroni if the town board was responsible for reviewing the zoning change could it ask the planning board to be the lead agency for the environmental review of the proposal. The town board unanimously agreed to Baroni’s idea for the town board to ask the planning board to be the lead agency and also ask for the planning board’s recommendation on a potential zoning change
The town board also voted unanimously to charge the developers with an $18,300 application fee and also required them to place an additional $5,000 in escrow.
